Double Up Food Bucks
We're incredibly excited to be the first grocery store in the Capital Region to introduce Double Up Food Bucks, a healthy foods incentive program that provides SNAP shoppers with a dollar for dollar match on fresh, whole produce.
Here's the scoop:
- Spend $1 and earn $1, up to $20 per day!
- Applies only to fresh, whole produce (ex. apples, lettuce, carrots, avocados)
- Signing up is simple and quick, and there are no strings attached. Simply stop by Customer Service with your SNAP/EBT card and photo ID, and we'll give you a Double Up card!
- As you shop at the Co-op, remember to bring both your SNAP/EBT card and the Double Up card with you to make purchases and spend your earned Double Up Food Bucks.
- Capital Roots and Schenectady Greenmarket also participate in Double Up locally! Your card can be used at all of our locations interchangeably.
Remember: you don’t have to be an owner to shop at Honest Weight! All are welcome, and we're open from 8am to 9pm daily. We're conveniently located in Albany, just off of Central Ave. and I-90, and on a bus line.
- Download our Double Up Food Bucks one-page flyer
- Frequently Asked Questions (this link will send you to the Double Up Food Bucks NYS website)
- Click here for directions to the Co-op, by car or by bus.
- Press Release Introducing Double Up Food Bucks at Honest Weight (January 19, 2022)
We want to make sure everyone in our community knows about this food access program! If you or someone you know would be able to help distribute information about our Double Up Food Bucks program, please contact Amy at amy@honestweight.coop or by phone at 518-482-2667. Thanks!
Honest Weight Launches Double Up Food Bucks
SNAP Incentive program increases healthy food access for low-income families, supports local farmers
January 19, 2022 ALBANY, NEW YORK. – Honest Weight Food Co-op announces the launch of Double Up Food Bucks New York (Double Up), a program administered by Field & Fork Network, doubling the buying power of SNAP customers. Honest Weight Food Co-op is the first grocery store in the Capital region to offer the program which matches $1 for $1 federal SNAP dollars, up to $20 per day, to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables, with an emphasis on New York-grown produce.
"Double Up benefits our customers and farmers, while helping grow healthier communities" says Alex Mytelka, head of marketing at Honest Weight. "Food insecurity is at an all-time high. We're in the midst of a pandemic and we still have folks in the community we call home wondering where their next meal is coming from. Plain and simple, we need to do better. We need to show up for each other." Mytelka continued, "As a community-owned food cooperative, we're on a mission to break down this false narrative that fresh, healthy, colorful, locally grown food is only available to those who can afford it. Double Up is now one of the strongest tools in our collective community food access toolkit."
The American Heart Association, a partner of Field & Fork Network, supports Double Up Food Bucks and is advocating for funding for the program at the state and local levels. “Being able to eat well is a key factor to improving heart and brain health, and we are seeing now more than ever how critical good health is,” said Michael Poindexter, senior vice president of SEFCU, Pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church and member of the Capital Region Board of Directors of the American Heart Association. “We’ve been advocating for funding for Double Up Food Bucks at the local and state level so that more people can have access to even more healthy food. We’re proud to work with Field & Fork Network as they implement programs across the state, and are glad to see that the Honest Weight Food Co-Op is now accepting Double Up Food Bucks.”
Since piloting at 7 Western New York farmers markets in 2014, Double Up has expanded into over 29 counties and 180 locations across the state, serving over 32,000 SNAP households. The program operates in farmers markets, mobile markets, farm stands, corner stores, and grocery outlets.
Honest Weight Food Co-op is open to the public from 8am-9pm, seven days a week. Additional Double Up sites in the Capital Region include Capital Roots and Schenectady Green Market. For a complete list of participating Double Up sites and hours of operation, visit www.doubleupnys.com/locations.
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"We are thrilled to be able to continue to expand this program in the Capital Region at Honest Weight,” says Frances McGuire, Double Up Program Manager. “Double Up Food Bucks allows shoppers experiencing food insecurity to make their own healthy decisions when purchasing food for their families. We hope to see Double Up Food Bucks included in the 2022 New York State budget so that we can bring the program to even more locations in the area in the coming months."
About Double Up Food Bucks NY
Double Up Food Bucks is a nationwide fruit and vegetable incentive program, servicing millions of low- income SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) users with a dollar-for-dollar match to increase affordability and access to fresh healthy foods at farmers markets, CSAs, farm stands, mobile markets, and grocery stores. In New York State, Double Up has contributed to 1.1 million pounds of healthy food sales to over 32,000 customers, at more than 180 sites spanning 29 counties. To learn more about Double Up Food Bucks and a complete list of participating sites, please visit the program website or call 1-800-682-5016.